MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) integrate mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and/or electronics on a common silicon substrate through microfabrication technology. The electronics are often fabricated using integrated circuit (IC) process sequences. The micromechanical components are often fabricated using compatible micromachining processes that selectively etch away parts of the silicon wafer or add new structural layers to form the mechanical and electromechanical devices.
MEMS devices generally range in size from a micrometer (a millionth of a meter) to a millimeter (thousandth of a meter). Common applications include: inkjet printers that use piezo-electrics or bubble ejection to deposit ink on paper, accelerometers in cars for airbag deployment in collisions, gyroscopes in cars to detect yaw and deploy a roll over bar or trigger dynamic stability control, pressure sensors for car tire pressure, disposable blood pressure sensors, displays based on digital light processing (DLP) technology that has on a chip surface several hundred thousand micro mirrors and optical switching technology for data communications.